Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails

Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails Useful Stock Phrases for Your Business Emails By Ali Hale When I wrote a post on email etiquette, one reader, Juan, left a comment to ask for some advice (I’ve changed his punctuation a bit for clarity’s sake): I just discovered your page and I love it. Please teach me before we sign off the mail with â€Å"warm regards† etc ,we also always using some phrasal sentences such as â€Å"please look into this matter† or â€Å"thank you in advance†, â€Å"I would be very appreciate on your help in this matter†, etc. Could you please write some more like those in different contents of mails? What Juan’s describing here are stock phrases. If you write a lot of emails, you’ll often find yourself facing the same sorts of situations again and again, and you’ll often see stock phrases used in business emails to convey a professional, helpful and friendly tone. I agree with Juan that it can definitely help to have some ready-crafted sentences on hand for including in your emails – either just keeping them in mind, or creating a document on your computer to hold them ready for copy-and-pasting. The trick is to make them heart-felt rather than copied-and-pasted. There are a few phrases which I see constantly in emails from huge technical support firms, government offices and similar organisations: used carelessly, they can feel distancing or insincere. I’ve listed some options below for different types of email situations, such as: When you’re initiating email contact with someone new When you’ve answered someone’s question When you’re asking the recipient to take some action When you need a response (but not necessarily any action taking) When you’ve heard nothing back and want to chase up a reply Unless your boss is particularly uptight, why not try going with the more informal ones? I work in a small technical support team who have a great reputation for being friendly, helpful and accessible – in part, because we use everyday language and remember that we’re writing to people, not just trying to knock another email out of the queue. Here’s some examples you might want to use, or modify, for your own email messages †¦ feel free to bookmark the page, or print it out for easy reference. When you’re initiating email contact with someone new Very formal â€Å"Might I take a moment of your time† (to begin the email) â€Å"Please may I introduce myself† (to begin the email) â€Å"Many thanks again for your time.† (to end the email) More informal/friendly â€Å"Im just emailing to ask† (to begin the email) â€Å"Im a friend of Bobs† (to begin the email) â€Å"Just let me know if you have any questions.† (to end the email) â€Å"Drop me an email, or give me a ring, if you want any more information.† (to end the email) When youve answered someones question(s) Very formal â€Å"I trust the above resolves your queries. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.† More informal/friendly â€Å"I know thats a lot to take in, so let me know if anything Ive said doesnt make sense.† â€Å"Hope the above helps, but email again if youre still having any difficulties.† When you’re asking the recipient to take some action Very formal â€Å"I would appreciate your help in this matter.† More informal/friendly â€Å"Could you look into this?† â€Å"Would you mind checking it out for me?† â€Å"Thanks in advance.† â€Å"Can you get back to me once youve had a chance to investigate?† â€Å"Id love to hear your advice on this one.† When you need a response (but not necessarily any action taking) Very formal â€Å"I await a response at your earliest convenience.† More informal/friendly â€Å"Can you drop me a quick word so I know youve received this?† â€Å"Look forward to hearing from you.† When you’ve heard nothing back and want to chase up a reply Very formal â€Å"In reference to my email of June 20th †¦Ã¢â‚¬  More informal/friendly â€Å"Just wondered if you got my email (June 20th)?† â€Å"When you get a moment, could you drop me a line about my last email?† Do you have any favourite stock phrases that you use in your work emails? Add yours in the comments! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. Programme"Confused With" and "Confused About"Comment, Suggestion, and Feedback

Absolute Beginner Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Absolute Beginner Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns Your learners have now learned some basic vocabulary, simple positive and negative statements with to be, as well as questions. Now you can introduce the possessive adjectives my, your, his, and her. It is best to stay away from its at this point. You can work on getting students to know each other by using their names for this exercise, before going on to objects. Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is your name Ken? Yes, my name is Ken. (stress your and my - repeat a few times) Teacher: Is your name Ken? (ask a student) Student(s): No, my name is Paolo. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part II: Expand to Include 'His' and 'Her' Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is her name Jennifer? No, her name isnt Jennifer. Her name is Gertrude. Teacher: (Model a question to yourself changing places in the room, or changing your voice to indicate that you are modeling. ) Is his name John? No, his name isnt John. His name is Mark. (Make sure to accent the differences between her and his) Teacher: Is his name Gregory? (ask a student) Student(s): Yes, his name is Gregory. OR No, his name isnt Gregory. His name is Peter. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. If a student makes a mistake, touch your ear to signal that the student should listen and then repeat his/her answer accenting what the student should have said. Part III: Having Students Ask Questions Teacher: Is her name Maria? (ask a student) Teacher: Paolo, ask John a question. (Point from one student to the next indicating that he / she should ask a question thereby introducing the new teacher request ask a question, in the future you should then use this form instead of pointing to move away from the visual to the aural.) Student 1: Is his name Jack? Student 2: Yes, his name is Jack. OR No, his name isnt Jack. His name is Peter. Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Part IV: Possessive Pronouns Its a good idea to teach possessive pronouns together with possessive adjectives.   Teacher:  Is that book yours?  (ask yourself to model) Teacher: Yes, that book is mine. (Make sure to accent yours and mine) Alessandro ask Jennifer about her pencil.   Student 1:  Is that pencil yours? Student 2:  Yes, that pencil is mine.   Continue this exercise around the room with each of the students. Move on to his and hers in the same manner. Once completed, begin to mix the two forms together. First alternating between my and mine and then alternating between other forms. This exercise should be repeated a number of times.   Teacher: (holding up a book)  This is my book. The book is mine.   Write the two sentences on the board. Ask students to repeat the two sentences with various objects they have. Once finished with my and mine continue with your and yours, his and hers. Teacher:  That is your computer. The computer is yours. etc.